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1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to weapons systems and more particularly, to the tracking of weapons.
2. Description of Related Art
Gun control has become an important issue in today""s society. There are far too many instances in which deranged individuals wreak havoc by shooting innocent victims. Even more distressing, such shootings, particularly those done at random, are difficult to solve and strike fear into our nation""s citizens. In response, several legislatures have enacted laws and regulations in an effort to prevent unauthorized persons from obtaining firearms.
For example, in 1993, the U.S. Congress passed and the President signed into law the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. Commonly referred to as the Brady Bill, this legislation established a national system of background checks and waiting periods for individuals purchasing guns from federally licensed firearms dealers. Primarily designed to prevent convicted felons from obtaining guns and to provide purchasers with a xe2x80x9ccooling offxe2x80x9d period, the Brady Bill has been somewhat successful in preventing gun violence. Other initiatives have been advanced to further control access to firearms including requiring gun owners to place locks on their guns to eliminate accidental shootings.
Nevertheless, many proponents of gun control remain convinced that it is too easy to obtain a firearm in this country. As an example, these people argue that the Brady Bill has several loopholes in that it does not apply to gun shows and that nothing is in place to prevent guns from being purchased over the black market or simply stolen from a legal owner and later used to further criminal activity. Indeed, once a gun is acquired (illegally or even legally), presently there is no way to stop the weapon from being used or to monitor the weapon to help law enforcement officials solve any subsequent crimes committed by a person in possession of the firearm.